A travel journal, part 6

One of our exciting stops was in Pamplona — the site of the running of the bulls! Although it only happens once a year, it's a year-round draw. We walked the course and saw the pen where they hold the bulls before they're released. Many of the shops show a countdown clock until the next run in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

It's interesting to note that Pamplona is also a site on the Camino de Santiago, a spiritual pilgrimage that leads to the shrine of the apostle James in Santiago on the west coast. A stylized scallop shell marks the way.

That these two events share the same path intrigues me.

This is as much of a travel tip as anything. 

One of the girls on our trip was given a credit card and told she could buy anything she wanted — except a suitcase. What she had was good enough, they said.

From the beginning he bag was held together by duct tape and bungee cords. And the more stuff she bought, the more the strain showed on her suitcase. Finally one of the chaperones made her buy a new suitcase and told her that if there was any problem, she'd be more than happy to talk with her parents.

Almost every trip we have two or three people buy new luggage. Here's the tip: if you send a kid on an international trip, don't send the cheap luggage. When you pack for a trip, be sure to leave plenty of room for things you might pick up. You won't be sorry!

Markers show the path for the running of the bulls (above) and the Camino.

A travel journal, part 5

It may seem that a lot of the travel cartoons focus on food. Napoleon is often credited with saying that an army "travels on its stomach." The same it true with a tour group. If you can get some good sleep and eat some good food, then you'll have a good trip.

In this particular hotel, there were two tables set up for breakfast. One had fruits, pastries, juices, cereals, breads, cheeses and more. That was for the regular guests. Our table is as described, with the addition of a couple of carafes of water.

I saw more than one member of our group "accidentally" grab breakfast from the other table. Can't say that I blame them!

We have certain travel rules set up for safety. One of those is to not wander off alone in an unfamiliar area at night without letting a chaperone know. It's easy to get lost. And if you've ever been lost at night in a foreign country where your understanding of the language is rudimentary at best, you'll understand why this rule is in place.

It only happened one time. Never again.

Lunch that day was in San Sebastián, Spain, where they have a variety of excellent food, including these wonderful empanadas that helped us survive the meager breakfast!

 

A travel journal, part 4

One of the boys on the trip Really wanted a croque monsieur sandwich while he was in France. With the food challenges we had, it was difficult for him to find one. One of our last opportunities to get one was in the beautiful seaside city of Biarritz.

He finally found a restaurant that had croque monsieur on the menu — but it wasn't available that day!

The good new was that there was a McDonald's right next door to our hotel. It was a popular spot that evening. We kept them busy!

They may not have had a croque monsieur, but the had some amazing chocolate and a fantastic cheeseburger with pommes frites!

 

A travel journal, part 3

We next traveled to Bordeaux, but it was just an overnight stay. We got in late and left early. The highlight was the hotel, the Meininger Hotel Bordeaux Gare Saint-Jean, a funky hotel in a happening spot. My favorite feature was the square toilet. 

Our next stop was Dune de Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe. We had good weather that day, and the kids had great fun climbing and playing in the sand dunes.

The bus driver was a little less excited about the kids tracking sand into his workplace! He was very thorough in making sure we all had clean feet before getting back onto the bus.

Seriously, the toilets had square seats!
 

A travel journal, part 2

If you've traveled in Europe, you may have noticed that restaurants and stores either close down or have significantly reduced hours on Sunday. That's great — unless you want to eat while you're on the road.

Our itinerary had us eating at the restaurants or kiosks at Chenonceau, a famous castle/château in central France. There was one restaurant open, but it could only serve about eight people at a time. Our group was 40+ people.

Despite the variety of selections in the vending machine, we left hungry.

We were able to talk our tour guide into stopping for food at a gas station along our way. The Eni station isn't like your corner Chevron or Texaco with overwarmed hotdogs and nasty nachos. It's more like a refined Buc-ee's with a grill and restaurant.

It wasn't the fine dining we might have had at the château, but it was good enough for our group!

A variety of wonderful food in one of the cases at the gas station.

A travel journal, part 1

We're doing something a little bit different this week! As we do every couple of years, we took a group of students to Europe over spring break. When we get home from our trips, I usually do a series of cartoons to recap the trip and smile at some of the things we experienced. Because of some unfortunate events, I wasn't able to get to those cartoons until just recently. So here are some highlights. I hope you enjoy!

PARIS

It rained in Paris. Not that unusual for spring, but it rained hard. One day, after visiting the Louvre we were supposed to go to dinner at a restaurant about a mile away. Our guide went back and forth on whether we should take the Metro and get out of the rain or walk. She chose to have us walk. Not only was it a downpour, there was thunder and lightning! We were soaked by the time we got there. The quote in the cartoon is almost verbatim.

The next day we were scheduled for a bus tour of the city, stopping at some of the sights for a photo opportunity. But because of the rain, many of our stops were just drive-bys. We circled the Arch de Triomphe several times, but only one side of the bus had any sort of view. 

Luckily it cleared up in time for the Seine River cruise and the Eiffel Tower, but the morning was disappointing.

Now I can't complain too much because, yes, we were in Paris! A little more sunshine would have been nice, though.

Join us tomorrow for part 2!

This is the best photo I got of the Arch de Triomphe this trip. 
 

 

Keeping up with the Heelers

Honestly, though, you could do way worse than Bluey. It's all about being part of a supportive family. Some of my favorite episodes include Shadowlands, Takeaway, Hammerbarn and Grannie Mobile.

I wonder what Bluey and Bingo would be like in Primary?
 

Seek ye learning

This section of the Doctrine and Covenants that we're studying right now for Come, Follow Me has sooo much good stuff — and it's good material for cartoons as well!
 

Signs and wonders

This one just kind of drew itself. All I had to do was think back to the time when our five boys went to four different schools — and all of them were involved in extracurricular activities!
 

Hidden gems

So many places have already started back to school and it's still only the middle of August! There's something not quite right with that scenario!

Editor's note: The photo of the Portland Temple in the background was taken by one of our Oregon DOT aerial photographers who was shooting a project near the junction of I-5 and OR 217. The temple is just to the east of the freeway. I spied it and pulled it out as I was reviewing the photos. It's one of my favorite of the Portland Temple — and he wasn't even trying!
 

Sketchbook: The natural man

Raise your hand if you've never felt guilty reading D&C 88:124? Yeah, I thought so.

I like this gag, but one of the main reasons I left it in the sketchbook is that the drawing feels derivative of Jeremy in Zits. I guess I could always try drawing it differently!

We'll be back again some day!

The spirit is willing but the budget is weak.

That may not be a good lead in to a gentle, subtle reminder to be sure to order your copy of our Disney book! It’s full of lots of fun adventures that you can relate to, whether you've been to a Disney property or not! 
 

See you real soon!

It's a trick of the trade. When you check out at the grocery store, there are all those cheap and tempting things just waiting for you to grab. When you visit a museum, the exit is always through the gift shop. It's like they want to get every last dollar (or euro or peso or pound) that they can!
 

If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear

Why is it that things always cost more when you're on vacation?
 

Check the fine print

We went on a trip once where all seven of us stayed in the same room for a week — while the hotel was undergoing a major remodel. We had two king size beds, a couch and a crib for the baby (the kids were little once upon a time), so we fit just fine. But every day it felt like we came back to a new place because of the remodel. I think they even changed room numbers on us on the last day.

Travel is an adventure — comfort not guaranteed!
 

The more the merrier

Remember when Disney was Disney?
 

Sketchbook: The keys

Every Primary has one — the kid who can reach the keys, pound out a few notes, then disappear into thin air. 
 

Truth in advertising

This was certainly an interesting one to draw. Sorry!

 

Real pirates

Some messages at the park are subliminal — the scents, the invisible paint, the forced perspective. Others are a bit more blatant.
 

I must go, I must do

Sometimes it doesn't pay to think too much — but, hey, you have to get your money's worth!
 

Dress for success

When princesses collide!
 

The happiest place

It’s getting toward the end of summer, so it’s time for a little vacation! Let’s take a trip to Disney World!

This week and next I'll be running some cartoons from our Disney book that may not have seen yet. These are a few of my favorites.

And, hey! if you want to buy a copy of the book, I would certainly encourage that!

Sketchbook: The force is strong

I think it’s easy to see this one stayed in the sketchbook. 

Keys to the kingdom

Remember the tagline in that old American Express commercial? Membership has its privileges.